Apparatus for the treatment of cigars and other articles.



No. 833,233. PAT-BNTED 001. 16, 1906. A. LORBBR.

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CIGARS AND OTHER ARTICLES.

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. PATENTED 001 16, 1906. A. LORBER.

APPARATUS FOR THE'TREATMENT 0P CIGARS AND OTHER ARTICLES.

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APPARATUS FOR THETREATMENT OF CIGARS AND OTHER ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Application filed March 31, 1906. Serial No. 309.141.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR LORBER, a Subject of the Em eror of Austria-Hungary, residing in Brusse s, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Treatment of Cigars, also Applicable to other Articles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention has for its object an apparatus especially intended for preserving in Havana cigars the humidity necessary for selling them under good conditions without causing any deterioration in these cigars. The apparatus may, however, be applied to other products.

The accompanying drawings, which are given by way of example, represent a. constructional form of this apparatus.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents an elevation, one of the doors being assumed to be open. Fig. 2 is a section on the line A A of Fig. 1.

The apparatus consists of a cupboard 1, the inner walls of which are covered with sheets of zinc and which is provided with shelves 2, of zinc or other appropriate material, which may or may not be perforated or open-work. This cupboard may be closed by a door comprising two or more leaves, each formed by a frame 3 and a panel 4, constructed of glass or other suitable material, mounted upon hinges in the ordinary manner.

At the upper part of the window each of the leaves carries on the interior a tube 5, perforated with a number'of holes 6 along one of its generatrixes. This tube is surrounded by two glasses 7 and 8, arranged at right angles one to the other, the lower one being inclined toward the panel of the door, but leaving a free space between it and this latter.

On the lower cross-piece of each leaf there is arranged a gutter 9, connected by a flexible tube 10, of india-rubber, for example, with a zinc reservoir 11 on the bottom of the cupboard.

A pipe 12, of india-rubber or other appropriate material, is arranged at the upper part of the rear wall of the cupboard. From this tube there proceed two flexible pipes 13 and 14, each terminating at one of the tubes 5.

The pipe 12, which projects outside the cupboard, is intended for conducting water to the a paratus. It is connected with awater- PP y- The operatlon of the apparatus is as follows: The cigars to be treated are placed upon the shelves. The doors of the cupboard are closed, and water is admitted to the pipe 12 by means of a cock, (not shown in the drawings,) the discharge of which may be regulated at will. The water flows from the pipe 12 through the flexible tubes 13 and 14 into the tubes 5, from which it issues and forms sheets on the panels 4, where it partially evaporates, forming a mist or vapor favorable to the humidification of the cigars arranged on the shelves. The water falling into the gutters 9 flows through the tubes and proceeds to the reservoir 11. An overflow-tube 15, passing through the bottom of the cupboard and projecting some centimeters above it, permits of the flow of the water to the outside, while at the same time constantly maintaining upon the bottom of this reservoir a layer of water some centimeters deep, which also adds its proportion to the humidity of the air contained in the apparatus. The flexibility of the tubes 10, 13, and 14, and also their length, which is calculated in accordance, permit of opening and closing the doors without the necessity for detaching the said tubes from the parts at which they end.

The novel technical eflects obtained by the employment of walls of frosted glass or the like are that these walls immediately lose their humidity when the water-supply tap is closed, so that no stagnant water remains in the apparatus, and this prevents mold or mildew.

Havana cigars submitted to this treatment constantly retain the qualities appreciated by judges of cigars, and they may be removed from the cupboard as and when desired without even stopping the flow of water.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in What manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. An apparatus for preserving the hu- .midity of cigars and other products, comprising a cupboard, shelves therein, doors for the cupboard, a water-distributing pipe at the top of each door, means to supply water thereto, a gutter on the bottom of each door, a reservoir in the bottom of the cupboard and flexible pipes connecting the gutters and reservoir, whereby a sheet of water is caused to descend over the doors and the doors may be opened without cutting off the supply.

2. An apparatus for preserving the humidity of cigars and other products, comprising a cupboard having a door, a glass panel in the door, a water-supply pipe at the upper end of the rear wall of the cupboard, a-

perforated pipe mounted on the door, a flexible pipe connecting the two pipes, means adj acent the perforated pipe to uniformly distribute the water across the panel, a trough ARTHUR LORBER.

Witnesses: I

HENRI RAcLoT, JULEs GHILAIN. 

